Science Notebooks in K-12 Classrooms:North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership (NCOSP), a National Science Foundation funded Math and Science Partnership project, convened a group of education leaders from across Washington State. This group discussed the current state of science notebook use and reviewed hundreds of actual student notebooks.

Science Notebook Rubrics

﻿Science notebooks are an integral part of the science curriculum for all K-12 students. The form of the notebook itself may vary from teacher to teacher and from grade level to grade level but the overall intent of the notebook is the same – to help students document their work, make sense of it and use the notebook as a resource to revisit and apply their knowledge and insights in new learning situations.

Notebooks should be used nearly every day and be essential to the student’s work. The notebook provides a record of classroom activities, laboratory experiences, and student reflections. The Science Department recommends that teachers assess science notebooks based on the quality of student work, its organization, and its completeness.

No matter what form the notebook takes – whether it is a permanently-bound, chronologically-sequenced notebook with handouts taped in, a 3-ring binder organized by type of assignment, or something or your own design – there are some essential features that we recommend that all science notebooks include.

Essential Notebook Features:

The science notebook is a daily record of the student’s experiences, ideas, questions and developing understandings about science.